The impact of my single statement on the conference hall was considerable.

Even Karl and Elma, including the captain, opened their eyes wide in apparent surprise.

I didn’t miss that opportunity and continued speaking.

“That creature will manipulate the minds of members with low awakening ranks.”

A mental manipulation type monster meant a monster that could use ‘abilities that manipulate the mind’.

This type didn’t directly attack humans themselves.

Instead, it brainwashed and controlled humans with its abilities, making them massacre each other.

I looked at the captain with an unwavering gaze as much as possible and continued speaking.

“Knights with high awakening ranks like me and the captain will be safe as we won’t be affected by mental manipulation. But other members won’t be. They’ll surely kill each other while losing their sense of self.”

“……”

“That’s why only the captain and I should participate in this raid. As long as we’re not affected by mental manipulation, dealing with that monster will be simple, so two people should be enough even if we go alone.”

The captain slowly nodded his head after hearing my words.

At a glance, he seemed to understand.

As I said, the captain and I were particularly high-ranked… that is, strong awakeners among awakeners.

Therefore, we were not easily affected by mental skills cast by monsters.

I thought he understood, but soon the captain opened his mouth with a cautious attitude.

“Yes, as you say, if a mental manipulation type monster comes out of Rift No. 4, it would be safest for only you and me to participate in the raid. But I’m curious. How did you know that fact?”

“…I could feel it when I observed Rift No. 4 before. I could sense the energy of a mental manipulation type monster beyond it.”

“You felt it? Is that feeling your only basis for claiming that a mental manipulation type monster will appear?”

I could fully understand the captain doubting my words.

Even I thought my attitude of claiming such a monster would appear just because ‘it felt that way’ was absurd.

But there was no other way.

I couldn’t reveal that I was a person who had returned from the future and knew what monsters would appear from now on.

If I said that, I would probably be treated as mentally ill and confined somewhere at that moment.

So I had to persuade them even with weak evidence, insisting as much as I could.

“As you know, I’m particularly sensitive to sensing monster energy. I couldn’t feel it well before, but these days when I look at rifts, I can roughly tell what kind of monsters will appear beyond them.”

“……”

“Didn’t I detect and eliminate monsters hiding nearby before by sensing their energy?”

In the past, when entering rifts, there were times when I found monsters just by sensing them.

Awakeners with a considerable amount of mana like me also had excellent sense in detecting mana, so they sometimes detected monsters in advance.

Of course, even the highest-level awakener couldn’t know what monsters were beyond the rift… but fortunately, the captain seemed to be gradually persuaded by my words.

“Indeed, you’ve always had a good sense for that. So you detected the monster beyond the rift with that sense?”

“Yes, I can swear on my honor. A mental manipulation type monster will definitely appear beyond there.”

“Hmm….. But thinking about it, it’s strange. If your sense is that good, why couldn’t you feel what monsters would appear beyond Rift No. 3 before entering it recently? You even got injured after entering carelessly.”

“That was simply carelessness. I also thought I could take them down easily by myself. It’s different from not knowing what monsters were inside the rift before entering.”

The captain stroked his chin with a cautious expression.

He had no choice but to be cautious in a situation where the lives of precious members were at stake.

At that moment, Karl opened his mouth for the first time.

“I’d like to believe in the vice-captain’s intuition.”

Saying so, Karl looked at me.

He examined me with his kind green eyes, then spoke to the captain again.

“If Vice-Captain Yulia speaks with such a confident tone, it must be certain. I believe in the vice-captain. And if you go together, captain, nothing too dangerous will happen.”

Karl’s voice was tinged with deep trust as he spoke.

I nodded to Karl to express my gratitude.

He responded to my gesture of thanks with a small smile.

After hearing that much, the captain now asked Elma.

“Elma, what do you think?”

Elma was the leader of the auxiliary support squad and a female knight like me.

Probably because we were of the same gender, we had various deep conversations, and as a result, we maintained a closer relationship than others.

Anyway, Elma brushed her short black hair back as if her thoughts were complicated and replied.

“I think it’s dangerous for only the two of you to enter the rift. It would be fortunate if a mental manipulation type monster really appears, but if a large physical attack type monster comes out… both of you will be in danger. Especially you, vice-captain, weren’t you injured recently?”

Elma, having said that much, sent a worried look towards me and added two more words.

“It’s dangerous. I think it would be better if Captain Karl and I go together as well.”

I could fully understand Elma’s intention.

Unlike me, Elma was a very cautious person.

But I also cared about the lives of other members, so this time I really couldn’t back down.

“My opinion remains unchanged. Only the captain and I should go to this rift. Please trust me and make the decision.”

Even after hearing my final words, the captain pondered for a long time, then asked me.

“Can you take responsibility for those words? Given that it’s a claim from you who recently entered a rift alone and even got injured, there’s a lot that concerns me.”

“If I’m wrong, I’ll take responsibility in any form. And this time, it’s not just me alone, is it?”

“……”

“With the captain and me together, I can assure you we’ll close the rift more safely and quickly than ever before.”

Since I had never asserted my opinion this strongly before, the captain and other members all seemed surprised.

The captain, who had been staring into my eyes for a long time in silence, finally uttered the words I had been hoping for.

“For this rift, the vice-captain and I will enter, just the two of us.”

It was permission.

As soon as I returned to the barracks after finishing the meeting, I collapsed onto the bed as if falling.

I felt completely drained from persuading with insufficient evidence.

Still, I was relieved. That the captain trusted me.

The him I remembered from around this time was a cold and rational person.

Someone who would cut off anyone who tried to talk nonsense and even add insult to injury…

Was it thanks to the short conversation we had last night?

At least he didn’t seem to be completely ignoring me.

I hope the captain will continue to follow my words well in the future.

I closed my eyes and inwardly wished for that.

If only the captain follows my words well, our members wouldn’t lose their lives.

Because I knew the future.

Before the regression, we knew too little about the rifts, and because of that, we had to lose several precious members, but I didn’t want that this time.

This time, I was determined not to let anyone die.

And I too… would never die as futilely as in my previous life.

Once is enough for the experience of stupidly drinking poison, deceived by the man I loved.

It was while I was making such resolutions.

Weee-ing― Weee-ing―

A faint vibrating sound came from my small desk.

Knowing what that sound meant, I felt a moment of displeasure.

It would be nice if it stopped on its own, but the vibrating sound persistently continued.

Weee-ing― Weee-ing―

Unable to bear it any longer, I finally got up from the bed and walked towards the desk.

Then I opened the desk drawer and took out the crystal ball inside.

When I unwrapped the cloth covering the ball, the appearance of the vibrating crystal ball emitting a bright light was revealed.

Weee-ing― Weee-ing―

This crystal ball was an item imbued with the ability of ‘remote communication’, a thing that conveyed the voice of someone far away.

The reason this object was glowing and vibrating now was simple.

The Emperor… that is, Ernant was trying to contact me.

I briefly considered ignoring this contact but decided not to.

If a knight who had been obedient suddenly changed her attitude overnight, the sharp-eyed Ernant would surely find it suspicious.

Having finished my deliberation, I tapped the surface of the crystal ball twice with my fingertip.

Then soon the ball stopped vibrating and conveyed a familiar voice to me.

−Yulia. Why aren’t you answering my calls?

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.“`